New Metro bus ad policy bans political ads

Still engaged in a lawsuit over controversial ads about Israel, King County Metro on Friday unveiled a new transit advertising policy.

Ads from non-profit organizations will again be accepted, but certain political and public issue spots will be banned.

Metro said the ads it won’t accept include:

• Political advertising promoting or opposing a political party; the election of any candidate or group of candidates for federal, state or local government offices; and initiatives, referendums and other ballot measures;

• Public issue advertising expressing or advocating an opinion, position or viewpoint on matters of public debate about economic, political, religious or social issues;

• A number of listed products, services or activities including tobacco, alcohol, the sale of firearms, and adult/mature material.

In February a federal judge in Seattle rejected a group’s attempt to force King County to run ads on Metro buses that were critical of Israel, saying the space was a “limited” public forum and therefore not subject to full First Amendment protections.

The Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign and the American Civil Liberties Union had sued the county after it approved then rejected ads that said “Israeli War Crimes Your Tax Dollars At Work.” The groups said the county’s action violated the Constitution and sought a preliminary injunction to force the county to allow the ads.

The underlying lawsuit is still unresolved.

In late December, Executive Dow Constantine reversed an earlier decision allowing the SeaMAC advertising. County officials cited an an overwhelming number of complaints and threats of violence. The County is working on a new advertising policy. Metro’s current one about bus advertising restricts messages containing pornography, tobacco and alcohol and images and material that could threaten public safety.